


Just Be Whoever You Are

by LogicalParafox (Solitarysynonym)



Series: Larsadie Ficlet a Week Prompt Challenge [5]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 13:27:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4921339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solitarysynonym/pseuds/LogicalParafox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sadie's habit of singing and dancing when she is alone brings a shift in her relationship to Lars.</p><p>For SoggyWarmPockets' quick one week fic challenge</p><p>Prompt: Write about a time when Lars heard Sadie sing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Be Whoever You Are

Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream had headed out, departing for some prior arrangement that he wasn’t invited to. Lars’ suspicion that he had been ditched added the only bitter note to what had been an amazing afternoon in their company. Months ago he had only dreamed of them noticing him and getting a call this morning from Jenny to invite him for fries and chilling at the boardwalk represented a shining milestone leading to a gleaming road of being someone who mattered. Remembering the look of awe and confusion on Ronaldo’s face from the shadows of the fry stand as Peedee filled their order brought a smile to Lars’ lips. Soon seeing him with the cool kids wouldn’t be surprising, it would be normal. 

The trio were the unquestioned rulers of Beach City’s social scene, a fact that none of the three ever commented on or seemed aware of. That, Lars concluded, was how you could be sure that they were the top. He failed to recognize that the flip meant that his obsession with the social hierarchy and constant, painful awareness of his lower status confirmed that he was far from the top. 

The sun had shone down upon his golden day with them but now it was peacefully setting over the boardwalk and he was alone. As if in commiseration, his stomach growled hungrily and he realized how long it had been since the fries. Lars patted his pockets and came up without even a rattle of two coins. His surprise faded when he remembered paying for rounds of teens of rage, his shoulder jammed against Sour Cream’s as Jenny and Buck laughed and cheered them on. “Totally worth it,” he said aloud to the ocean, grinning widely. 

His stomach grumbled again and he rubbed it, frowning as he considered the long walk to his house and the probability of getting told that he had to wait for dinner. The sun slipped below the horizon and in the growing darkness the Big Donut lit up like a beacon. Lars made an effort to never go into work on his days off, but he knew Sadie had the evening shift and he was sure she would let him take a donut or three and get a drink. 

Things had been casual between them since the lighthouse, with Sadie unable and Lars unwilling to explore things further. As he had done before, Lars had taken that tension and channeled it elsewhere, in this case to “just casually” running into the trio. At least that was starting to pay off if they were inviting him directly. 

His feet carried him toward the Big Donut as he mused, propelled by the emptiness of his stomach and his conviction that Sadie would take pity on him and feed him despite his lack of money. 

\-----

Through the glass front of the store he could see the deserted counter. As often as he snuck off to take naps or generally avoid the drudgery of work, Lars felt righteous indignation that Sadie had abandoned her post (especially when he, Lars, needed her). He opened the door and stormed in, opening his mouth to shout her name when he heard something and froze, listening hard. Sadie’s voice drifted faintly to him from the back room. Lars felt his stomach drop, worried that there might be a new hire. He might loathe work but he wasn’t willing to give up even his modest income. Maybe Sadie had told them about how often he slacked off. The panicky thudding of his heart made it hard to hear what she was saying, the traitor. 

Not entirely sure why he was doing it, he crept forward as silently as he could, sneaking around the counter and peeking around the door frame into the back. As he got closer and his panic died down, he realized that he wasn’t hearing any voice but Sadie’s though he hadn’t spotted her yet. 

She shimmied into view with a clipboard in her hand. Lars, his head in the doorway, froze. Sadie kept up her dancing and he finally realized her eyes were closed and pulled back against the wall before she could spot him. 

“...we’re underneath a thousand shining stars….  
Isn’t it nice to find yourself somewhere different?  
Why don’t you let yourself just be wherever you are.

Look at this place  
Look at your faces  
I’ve never seen you look like this before  
Isn’t it nice to find yourself somewhere different?  
Why don’t you let yourself just be wherever you are…”

Lars had worked so diligently to forget most of those awful weeks on the island where Sadie had stranded them that it took him several stanzas before he could place what Sadie was singing. His ears went hot as the memories came back to him. The fish he had saved her from. Sleeping cuddled up in the hut. The monster she had saved him from. Their kiss. 

Lars bit his lip, weighing his options as Sadie, oblivious, continued to dance around the break room and sing to herself while she did inventory. He couldn’t imagine Sadie walking in on him while he was singing. Especially since he only sang in the shower… He didn’t want to admit he had been spying… but also he was hungry.

Resolutely he snuck away from the doorway as quietly as he could, heading back for the front of the store. Lars felt abruptly grateful for how few people came in at this hour so no one spotted him hunched over and sneaking around. He gripped the door handle and shoved it, then straightened, walking in like he had just entered. “Sadie! Why are you slacking off!” he shouted, trying to sound like he always did. 

\-----

Sadie’s day had been hectic to say the least. Her afternoon shift had turned into an all day affair when someone called in sick and she decided to take the double instead of calling in Lars on his day off. He had been talking so excitedly about his plans that she couldn’t bring herself to ruin it even if he was going to be off with another girl. 

As the boardwalk crowds had dwindled, she had begun doing her daily round of inventory and, in the privacy of the breakroom, had cheered herself up. Singing Steven’s little island song brought back such fond recollections of her time with Lars. How he had relaxed and opened up to her and finally kissed her. She refused to let the sour way things had ended ruin those precious golden memories of sitting around the fire together or the feel of his arm around her. 

At first she didn’t realize that the Lars she was hearing was in reality, not in her memory. She stopped singing abruptly. “...Lars?” she called, not sure what she had heard. Sometimes your mind played tricks on you alone in the store. 

“Who else would it be?” he shouted crabbily and she sighed in familiar exasperation. Did he have to be so rude? Wondering why on earth he had come in on his day off, she finished writing down the number of boxes they had gone through today and set down the clipboard before heading into the front of the store. 

“Isn’t it your day off?” she asked curiously. Lars’ large ears were red and he looked flustered. “...Are you ok?”

“Yes yes what? Oh yeah I’m fine,” he blurted out, practically shouting. He folded his arms and drummed his fingers on his upper arms, not looking at her. 

“O-kay,” Sadie said, lifting an eyebrow. “Did you want something?”

His eyes darted to her face and then away as he sidled toward the donut case and ducked down to peer in it. “Oh right I was… well I was hungry and I realized I forgot my wallet and I was hoping…” he trailed off and glanced at her pleadingly. 

“I’m not supposed to do that Lars,” she said forbiddingly, though the sad, hungry look on his face made her want to take him to dinner. “You KNOW I’m not supposed to do that.”

“But Sa-die!!” he moaned, slumping over the counter. Sadie pursed her lips as she tried to figure out why it felt so much like he was lying to her. Well… Even if he was being deceptive she could hear his stomach growling. 

At last she sighed and snagged a bag, plopping two of his favorite donuts into it. “There, fine. But I’m not doing this for you again,” she warned.

Lars snatched the bag with a happy grin, pulling one out and biting into it. His eyes closed blissfully as he chewed. “You’re the best, player two,” he said with a full mouth, making her smile even as she rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah yeah yeah, now get out of here I need to finish inventory,” Sadie said, amused. 

Lars waved the bag at her, gleefully chewing his mouthful. He hummed happily to himself as he pushed the door open. 

Sadie frowned slightly as the door swung closed, trying to puzzle out what Lars had been humming… It sounded very familiar…

Her jaw dropped as she recognized Steven’s island song belatedly. The same song she had had stuck in her head all day...


End file.
